The Penn's Grove record., 1887-07-30
LOVE AND QUICKSAND.

1t was spring time in Southland.
Delicate, commingled odor5 peryadet
the air as if a myriad of waiting priest!
were swinging previously laden censer:
within the veTdant chancel OF the eartl
-censers whose sweet perfumes floateC
upward to invisible heights. within the
vast blue dome, whose tracery was in
fleecy clouds, Frightening in the cease
less flow Of light from the Fastening
sun. In the woods, In the valleys, OF
the hillsides, painting, throbbing nature
seemed to be bringing forth all bel
treasures of blossoms, of flower, of leaf,
to show them to the sun. Through the
green atmosphere Of the wood burst
Into ecstatic flame the crimson flower:
Of the Judas tree; the yellow jessamine.
in wild and joyousluxuriance OF bloom,
embraced the giant trees, entWined
itself around their strong arms; hung
in festoons with athletic grace about
the dripping, grey Spanish moss, creep
ing over fallen timber, leaving one
sinuous, intoxicating trail of golden
splendor behind. and bending low tC
the ground kissed the smiling blue and
white vlolets which were springing up
everywhere from the grass. And
through the silent forest CLEANED, like
mystic Undines, the abundant spray OF
the delicate Grape flowers, as if q wed.
ding day were on hand and dryads and
hamadryasd were about to move profess
slonally, to some woodland altar around
which fauns would joyously dance.
Then, down among the low-lands
famed the trumpet flower from its
retreat Of darkling leaves, and the
~honeysuckle showed its rich blossoms
to the bees. Among them all, from
out of the deep green, polished, happy
leaves of the great magnolia trees
looked, as fair Juliets from immortal
easements, the great white flowers
the queen flowers Of the southern
woods. showing their golden hearts to
heaven, the sun, the earth.
There was a party or merry.makers
down among the opuIence of spring
time glory. They had come from
neighboring plantations on horseback
and carriages to a royal resting place
within the forest, where a spring OF
crystal water dubbed UP from creamy
sand and flowed unsteady to the almost
dry bed of a great bayou, strewn with
pretty pebbles and ilecked with shadows
lined the sides at intervals.
1t was a birthday anniversary they
were celebrating. Irene Chenard had
hidden the vicinage folk to a reyel
with the reveling flowers of spring
time, and to remember that she was
eighteen. Even her sedate father,
Major Chenard, vas taken with the
notion of a frolic, and omitted his Gus
tomary morning ride about his planta-
tion to do his fair daughter honor. SO
the negro fiddlers were released from
work that day and the house servants
werettaken along to help, and thus
happened that there was a sound of
mirth and music under old trees, and
as happy q company as you could find
under the shining sun. The fires roared
where the self-important negro cooks
were deity preparing dinner; the old
ladies sat comfortably on .improvised
sets, discussing nelghborlng and house.
hold affairs and matrimonial prospects
of the girls. Elsewhere the negro fd-
oilers, Tom and Jake, industriously
piled their bows on the crepltant strings
of the yiolins. Jake called out the fig
ures in a penetrating voice to the young
men and maidens as they moved rapidly
and gracefully amid occasional psals OF
merry laughter in the eyerchanging
dance.
Sitting on a rustic throne, crowned
with flowers, was Irene, the picture of
maidenly beauty, surrounded by a
crowd of friends who paid homage to
the fair queen of the day. Her sister
Fanny was there, too. She was the
fairest Of them all.
"a woman Ike a dew-drop. she so purer than
the pufest,
And her eyes are dark and humid, like the depth
ondepth OF luster,
Hid in the %harebell, while her tresses, SUMMER
than the Wild grape cluster,
Gush In golden-tlnted plenty down her neck's
marble
Then her voices music T. . call 1t the Wells
bubbling, the bi DIS MARBLE"
Then there were two men standing
in the group-one, Harry Stanwood. "A
lawyer of the nelghboring town, who
had ridden fifteen miles, not so much
to congratulate Miss Irene as to see
her sister Fanny. For since the great
party at General Thornton's, q year
before, he had been in love with her,
as only a nan who really loves for the
first time and is not upset and demented
over every pretty woman, can love. A
man OF cool and matured judgment
was Harry Stanwood, an industrious
lawyer, of very moderate mean and O
great and promising ability. He was
not handsome; was, in fact, to the
casual observer, decidedly plain IN ap
p~earance; but people who looked into
his great brown eyes and marked thu
intelligence they communicated to bis
face, and engaged him In conversation.
thought him positively good looking
But he was poor.
The other man who stood there had
come to see Fanny Chepard, also. Rem
wick Nichols owed a line plantation
within half an hours gallop of Majo,
Chenard's mansion. He was rich AMI
had an unmIstabably rlcl
look; he was easy and graceful In hi
manners and dress; was charming il
his conversation; accomplished, sophis
tlcated, and had travelled much. III,
had a way of monopolizing talk and
getting people TO listen to him whicl
was gratifying to himself, at least. He,
too, had made up his mind, after goin,
the rounds. that OF all the girls within